It was a chance meeting between Don Fagan and his former baseball coach, Stratford legend Jim Penders that began Don Fagan's 49-year Odyssey with the Fairfield County Football Officials Association. A sportswriter for several area newspapers back in 1963 as well as a top-flight fast-pitch softball player, Fagan decided he wanted to become a football official, and his meeting with Penders made that desire possible. As with many young officials, the first years were spent learning the craft on the fields of midget and Pop Warner teams, as well as cutting his teeth on freshmen and sub-varsity games throughout Fairfield County. Fagan remembers his first assignment was a Pop Warner game and his fee consisted of a "hot-dog and soda." In his fifth year, he worked his first varsity game, Bassick-Milford at Hedges Field for the astounding sum of $15. That game began a varsity career that saw him work many important MBIAC and FCIAC games and become part of a crew when the Fairfield Board opted to utilize the crew system. He worked his first Thanksgiving Day game after 12 years of officiating and in 1979 he became a Referee. He was also a sub-varsity assigner. Fagan has worked several league and state playoff games, his first being Ansonia-Seymour at Kennedy Stadium in Bridgeport in 1979. After many years of varsity work, Don had to take some time off the field due to hospitalizations, but has come back and continues to do Pop Warner and sub-varsity games for the FACFOA. Even after 49 years as an official, Don Fagan exhibits the enthusiasm that is known by anyone who ever put on the stripes. "I hope I can continue to run up and down the football field for a long time to come (as long as it's fun) because I can't get it out of my system."